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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Jack Bivans

Assistant Flight Engineer on the Straight FlushHiroshima Mission

Tinian IslandWendover, UT
509th Composite GroupHiroshima MissionManhattan Project VeteranMilitary Veteran

Jack Bivans was the Assistant Flight Engineer on the “Straight Flush” B-29 crew that participated in the first Atomic bombing over Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945.

Bivans was born in Evanston, Illinois, on August 30, 1925. Before enlisting in the Air Corps in 1943, Bivans enjoyed a career as a radio actor, a profession he returned to after the war. As a part of the 509th Composite Group, 393rd Bomber Squadron, Bivans’ service started in 1944 in Wendover, Utah, before he was transferred to Tinian Island to prepare for the atomic attack on Japan.  

Jack Bivans's Timeline
1925 Aug 30th Born in Evanston, Illinois
1943 Enlists in the Army Air Corps
19441946 Assigned to 509th Composite Group, 393rd Bomber Squadron. Becomes an Assistant Flight Engineer aboard the B-29 Superfortress named "Straight Flush.
1945 Aug 6th Participates in first atomic bombing over Hiroshima, Japan aboard "Straight Flush.
1946 Returns to civilian life as a radio actor.

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